Dark Souls

Dar_Klink

Last Guardian when? - CyberKlink 20XX before dying
Replacing the director from the last two games is scaring me quite a bit, and the fact that they've mentioned wanting to achieve the success of Skyrim... I'll try not to be a pessimist though, I'm still excited. :void:
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Finally got around to playing the DLC this weekend. Not finished yet, but enjoying it so far. Neat setting.

First attempt at Artorias, realized Queelag's sword sucks against him, let him kill me.
Second attempt, used Black Knight Sword, super effective. Brought him to 1/4 life, then he nailed me while I was trying to heal.
Third attempt, fucked around attempting Iron Flesh and that was a fucking failure.
Fourth attempt, IN THE BAG. Moving on to bigger and better things.

Didn't think he was as hard as he should have been, given the guy's legendary status in the game's lore. Of course, he had been brought low by the abyss. Very visually impressive moveset though. Speaking of which, yeah, that fight totally resembled Guts when the armor is activated. Even has the growling effect. Wonder if Miura will ever play this game?
 

Truder

"I frown at Griffith's nipples" -Aazealh
Dar Klink said:
Replacing the director from the last two games is scaring me quite a bit
That really killed my excitement for this game.. along with the fact that it feels like Dark Souls had just come out. Let's hope they dont start pumping out the souls series just for the sake of pumping them out. Its supposed to come out next year right? although i must say, that trailer looked awesome.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Truder said:
That really killed my excitement for this game..
While I share your skepticism, the former director is sticking around as a supervisor, which generally means that he will have final say on the overall game. Judging from the Edge preview article (full article due out in a week or so, and I'll post details here), the subtext is that they changed directors to open the game up to more people. Whether that means streamlining arcane systems like covenants and weapon upgrade paths, or spelling out key details for people narratively remains to be seen. And that's sort of the crux for a lot of people.

I'd like to talk about this particular point in the next SkullKast since Aaz and I have differing opinions on Dark Souls' presentation, even though we both love it.

along with the fact that it feels like Dark Souls had just come out. Let's hope they don't start pumping out the souls series just for the sake of pumping them out. Its supposed to come out next year right?
It may seem soon, but it's the same duration between Demon's Souls (2009) and Dark Souls (2011).
 
Dar Klink said:
Replacing the director from the last two games is scaring me quite a bit, and the fact that they've mentioned wanting to achieve the success of Skyrim... I'll try not to be a pessimist though, I'm still excited. :void:

This is always news that's worrisome to the diehards and inviting the new people and like others have said, is a real balancing act. The most fearful thing is that mention of Skyrim, did anyone else get a similar vibe from the Dragon battle in the snowy landscape with fur on his armour ? :femto: Then again, it was a trailer to be shown at the VGAs and who is the target audience at those things? Mainstream gamers who probably love Skyrim. I just really hope it was their attempt at enticing those sorts of fans while not catering to them completely. It was an odd event to to showcase the premiere of that game in my opinion...just really hope it isn't much of a sign of things to come. At least it was introduced by Jessica Alba, would have never guessed in a million years that if you asked me to bet on how it would be announced lol.

I really hope and wish the Dark Souls team knows why their games are popular and who their fans are. I think one of the main reasons behind it's popularity is the obscure nature of the game events and how certain things literally take research and communities to figure out. There are certain aspects of the game though I certainly feel could use some streamlining and polishing at the same time. All in all Dark Souls is definitely one of my favorite games of recent memoryand i have faith it will be another great game, can't wait to see more!
 

Wyrm

HEMA
Draculoid said:
I really hope and wish the Dark Souls team knows why their games are popular and who their fans are.

Sometimes people don't realize that what makes a game great are elements that would never work in a mass market game. Death in Dark Souls means something and is made in a way that the only person you can pissed off at is yourself. You always know what happened, why you die and how you can try to avoid it next time. I can't see them trying to get this game to the masses and keeping that mechanic.

So the quote above is the only think I'm asking for or else this little piggy won't go to the market.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Proj2501 said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHW08wUesxE

I find this guy's effort admirable, though I don't buy his theory even if he is 99% certain.

Yeah it's pretty much groundless.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Proj2501 said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHW08wUesxE

I find this guy's effort admirable, though I don't buy his theory even if he is 99% certain.
I'm 99% certain that an utterly featureless, weather-worn statue face does resemble a featureless mask. Bravo, YouTuber!
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Gaahl said:
In regard to the Skyrim comment: it is worth mentioning that this particular line comes from Edge magazine, not the new Director.
It should have been pointed out by me earlier, but yeah... That's EDGE playing coy with interpreting what From mean when they say more accessible. EDGE is simply using Skyrim as the baseline for modern RPG popularity. It's also merely an excerpt of their full interview, which will be released on Dec. 20.

Anyway, From have been pretty straightforward about their company's philosophy. Check this behind the scenes video released before Dark Souls came out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnUAGdBwcCg

"From Software's philosophy is not to get caught up in chasing what's popular, but rather to make games based on what we value.

"It's our company's most basic principle.

"Instead of saying, 'This other game is a hit, so let's copy it,' we put enormous emphasis on simply making the kinds of games that we want to make."

So yeah, pretty much the opposite of what people are speculating. I think people should give them the benefit of the doubt when it comes to Dark Souls II. They've certainly earned credibility.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
A summary of details from the Edge article was posted on Neogaf today:

-Huge leap in graphical quality. The game is compared to Watch Dogs and Star Wars 1313. Dynamic lighting and smoother animations all around.

-Hidetake Miyazaki, the director for Dark/Demon's souls, will not be directing the game and will only be lightly involved in the production. His involvement is mostly about getting the project started and occasionally checking in on it.

-The unknown nature of the games came from Miyazaki's interest in western fantasy/mythology and his relative inability to read the English text as a child, leaving him to fill in the blanks.

-Miyazaki was disappointed about having to patch Dark Souls, saying that they pushed the game out without being 100% complete. Dark Souls II will be complete when it launches.

-Server based PVP is back

-Information is unclear whether or not Miyazaki willingly stepped down from the director's chair. Namco calls is a "company decision" and has this disturbing anecdote to share:

"For the IP to evolve and provide a new experience within the Dark Souls world the new wind from directors Shibuya and Tanimura is key to providing players with a brand new Dark Souls experience. In order to maintain expectations and satisfaction and the rewards players experience this was the time to bring in new characteristics and tastes of the directors for the series to continue evolving."

-Miyazaki is working on a new game he can't talk about.

-Miyazaki is disappointed he doesn't have a greater role in Dark Souls II

-The Graphics are shockingly close to the trailer's quality

-According to Shibuya, one of the co-directors, the player's ability to parse meaning from subtle hints or clues will determine the difficulty of the game and the challenges that are there to experience.

-The map is roughly the same size, but has more content and more "areas of interest".

-The notion that Dark Souls needs to evolve was "common". Edge says not to expect a minor update.

-In designing map areas, the main concept was to create areas that had not been in either game.

-Talks of implementing a system that will let you reveal the clues you've learned over the course of the game (wut?)

-Shibuya talks about "limiting players options for the early portion of the game, making it simpler to understand new concepts. Then, after a certain amount of time has elapsed, they will suddenly experience the true dark souls experience".

-The game is a direct sequel to Dark Souls, but will not take place in Lordran. It takes place in the same world, but in a different location.

-Time travel may play a part in the plot, and the "theme" of the game is "time" and "eras"

-Shibuya does not intend to change the controls.

-There may be slight awkwardness coming in from Dark Souls, but people should be able to adapt easily.

-Covenants will return, but be easier to understand

-Dark Souls II will be more straightforward and understandable in regards to gameplay and plot. Sibuya says he enjoyed the way Dark souls handled things, but he feels that there were elements so subtle that almost no one experienced them.

-The game has been in development since September of last year, and work on the patch/DSII was done simultaneously.

-The team for DSII is substantially bigger. The team for world construction is doubled in size, and people have been added in every other area as well.

-The game is roughly 25% complete. Very unlikely to release in 2013.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Walter said:
-Information is unclear whether or not Miyazaki willingly stepped down from the director's chair. Namco calls is a "company decision" and has this disturbing anecdote to share:

"For the IP to evolve and provide a new experience within the Dark Souls world the new wind from directors Shibuya and Tanimura is key to providing players with a brand new Dark Souls experience. In order to maintain expectations and satisfaction and the rewards players experience this was the time to bring in new characteristics and tastes of the directors for the series to continue evolving."

-Miyazaki is working on a new game he can't talk about.

-Miyazaki is disappointed he doesn't have a greater role in Dark Souls II

Sounds like he was asked to step down. But if he's working on a new title it might not be all that bad. Like they said, the DS formula will evolve Miyazaki creates a new IP.

Walter said:
-The game is a direct sequel to Dark Souls, but will not take place in Lordran. It takes place in the same world, but in a different location.

-Time travel may play a part in the plot, and the "theme" of the game is "time" and "eras"

Could be an interesting take on things, and a way to step around the problem of having already done so much in DS1.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
I saw it a few days ago. I think he's reading way too much into the "this is the main hero" line. It reeks of a bad translation.

Will Dark Souls II be a different game without the same director? Of course. Is that a bad thing? No, not necessarily. It sounds to me like they're very focused on broadening the world of Dark Souls, and honestly that's what intrigues me the most about this franchise.
 
An interesting watch for sure. Definitely remaining cautiously optimistic like many others, can't wait for more news. Didn't realize how early in development it still is, wonder when we will get our first screens/gameplay.
 
Hopefully just a bad translation.

Walter said:
It sounds to me like they're very focused on broadening the world of Dark Souls, and honestly that's what intrigues me the most about this franchise.

I agree with you. The story is bait and the gameplay is the hook, at least for me. At this point (over 300+ hours in) I'm very familiar with the nuances in the gameplay. I'm at least on NG+(10) and I love still noticing little things about the world I've missed before. Some times have been strictly speed runs of item hunts. Before and after the DLC came out I really began to reinvest in the story. I'm more than happy Dark Souls 2 is taking place in the same world as Lordran.

I am worried about the absence of Miyazaki though. With regards to the lore, it's like Miura being taken away from a future Berserk game. Not saying Miyazaki is anywhere near the level of Miura, but Dark Souls is Miyazaki's story as Berserk is Miura's. It's a bit hard not to be worried.

Forget how the story is presented. If they want to make it and the nature of gameplay clearer, go for it. While I like having to do research to understand the lore, I get why everyone might not enjoy it. But I Hope Miyazaki has SOME input as the to the nature of the story.
 

Walter

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Staff member
Vampire_Hunter_Bob said:
So I escaped the asylum and now everything is killing me.
So you've officially arrived in Lordran. You have a variety of places you can go at this point, but only one path make sense for people making their first trek through. I'd recommend looking for the stairs along a mountain to the right side of the starting bonfire, if you're facing those steps in front of you. I remember when I first started, my graphics settings were so low that I couldn't even see the stairs very well, so I kept bypassing them. But that's the way you want to be going.
 

Vampire_Hunter_Bob

Cats are great
Walter said:
So you've officially arrived in Lordran. You have a variety of places you can go at this point, but only one path make sense for people making their first trek through. I'd recommend looking for the stairs along a mountain to the right side of the starting bonfire, if you're facing those steps in front of you. I remember when I first started, my graphics settings were so low that I couldn't even see the stairs very well, so I kept bypassing them. But that's the way you want to be going.

Sweet thanks! I eventually found my self there so I'll make sure I go back there for exploring.
 
Just saw this video today o_O holy crap. Rings both bells by 14 minutes.....I was cringing at his falls through the back door of Blightown.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0e5S2dakVU
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Draculoid said:
Just saw this video today o_O holy crap. Rings both bells by 14 minutes.....I was cringing at his falls through the back door of Blightown.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0e5S2dakVU

Pretty crazy run; guy sure doesn't waste any time.
 
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